Armrest assembly with lid with latch release handle

Abstract

An armrest assembly includes an armrest and a lid mounted on the armrest for relative rotational movement between a closed and open positions. The lid includes a handle cradle with handle guides on opposed sides and an intermediate inner guide. A handle is located in the handle cradle for relative movement between a latch position and a release position. The handle includes a latch. The latch retains the lid in the closed position when the handle is in the latch position. The handle includes a clip that engages a slot on the lid to retain the handle in the handle cradle. The handle also includes guide channels on opposed sides. The guide channels engage the handle guides. The handle includes an intermediate inner guide space. The inner guide space engages the inner guide. The armrest assembly also includes a spring that biases the handle into the latch position.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An armrest assembly comprising:
 an armrest; 
 a lid mounted on the armrest for relative rotational movement between a closed position and an open position, the lid including a handle cradle that includes handle guides on opposed sides and an intermediate inner guide; 
 a handle located in the handle cradle for relative movement between a latch position and a release position, the handle including a latch that retains the lid in the closed position when the handle is in the latch position, a clip that engages a slot on the lid to retain the handle in the handle cradle, guide channels on opposed sides of the handle that engage the handle guides and an intermediate inner guide space that engages the inner guide; and 
 a spring that biases the handle into the latch position. 
 
     
     
       2. The armrest assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the slot in the handle cradle extends from a side of the handle cradle to an inner face of the lid, and the lid includes raised guard walls on the inner face around the slot. 
     
     
       3. The armrest assembly of  claim 1 , the lid including a lid base and a lid trim, wherein the handle cradle is attached to the lid base between the lid base and the lid trim. 
     
     
       4. The armrest assembly of  claim 3 , the lid including a plurality of raised walls located between an inner face of the lid base and an inner face of the lid trim. 
     
     
       5. The armrest assembly of  claim 4 , wherein the slot in the handle cradle extends from a side of the handle cradle to the inner face of the lid base, and the lid base includes raised guard walls on the inner face around the slot. 
     
     
       6. The armrest assembly of  claim 5 , further comprising a second spring that biases the handle into the latch position, wherein the spring and the second spring are located on opposed sides of the inner guide.